Filtered Powers of Hope
by candyapplemusic
Summary: *UPDATE* What if there was something in this world you loved and you couldn't have it? Carey loses the one thing that gave him sanity. ~Chapter 6 Uploaded~
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own anything or anyone from So Weird. I am an innocent person borrowing them to amuse myself on a Saturday night.  
  
I love feedback. E-mail, Reviews, or Anything of the sort. I promise to love you forever.  
  
Carey allowed the gentle flow of the bus on an empty highway lull him to sleep on the small couch. It was a late Sunday afternoon and they had just played two weekend gigs in Vermont and they would soon be in Boston for a few weeknight venues. He loved being on tour and playing his guitar. College would never have worked for him. Clu was having a blast over at Santa Cruz and actually passing his classes. That was a better place for his parent's money to go. He smiled softly as he lost all touch with reality.  
  
"It looks like someone is a very tired little boy." Irene whispered to Molly where they sat at the breakfast nook.  
  
"He's been working very hard. I remember sleeping for days when I was first performing." Molly replied.  
  
"He should go sleep on his bed. That couch gives you some major neck problems." Irene stood up and wandered over to the couch and bent over her son. "Carey, go sleep in the room, you'll hate it if you sleep on this couch."  
  
".... I'll be fine mom.....just fine." With that Carey yawned and shifted on the couch.  
  
"Suit yourself." Irene laughed at her stubborn son. Even while sleeping he tried to challenge her. She went back over to the breakfast nook and pulled out a deck of cards. "Time for card game on the road number one million and one"  
  
"They're so cute at this age aren't they?" Molly laughed as Irene gave her that look. "Want to try to beat me at gin rummy again?"  
  
"I say we pull Jack and Fi out here and have a true match of wits." Irene spoke with a mischievous tone.  
  
"You just want to beat someone at this game, even if they are teenagers." Molly teased at Irene.  
  
"Girls, girls, no fighting over card games anymore. Play nice." Ned mock ridiculed them from his place at the wheel of the bus.  
  
"I promise we'll be better dear." Irene laughed as she responded to him. "Where are Fi and Jack? This game would be better with a few more people. "  
  
"I agree. I think they're in Fi's room talking to their friends back home on Fi's laptop. I'll go grab them so I don't wake sleeping beauty here." Molly joked.  
  
"I heard that." Mumbled a sleepy Carey from the couch.  
  
"Go back to sleep dear, we'll wake you the next time we talk about you." Irene threw a teeny sugar packet at her son.  
  
"Child abuse." Carey whined as he curled up further on to the couch.  
  
Molly laughed at them as she wandered down the hall of the bus to see about her kids. The door was shut so she knocked.  
  
"Come in!" Fi shouted.  
  
Molly opened the door and walked in. It was so nice to see Jack and Fi sitting at the desk together laughing and joking. "We're about to start a game of gin rummy and Irene needs you guys to play so she can beat someone."  
  
"Does she think we're that bad at it?" Jack replied.  
  
"Who knows? We should humor her though. I think she wants us to be loud so Carey will go sleep in a bed instead of passing out on the couch out there." Molly wandered over further to look at the pictures she had pulled up on her laptop.  
  
Fi and Jack laughed. "Just let me shut this thing down and say goodbye to Candy and Ryan." Fi replied as began shutting things down on her laptop.  
  
"And I want to send one last thing to Clu before we come out there." Jack stated.  
  
"Sounds good. Join us when you're ready."  
  
Suddenly the bus hit a strong dip and Fi was thrown from her chair on to the floor. Jack and Molly had been standing and fell on to Fi's bed for a soft landing. Irene had to grab on to the table top fast to keep from sliding all of the way off. Carey was thrown from the couch and rolled into opposite wall. In a wasted attempt to stop from rolling into the wall he shoved his arms out ahead of him. The sound of his left arm cracking against the wall while the rest of him tried to roll further was enough to make Carey gasp in pain and almost pass out. 


	2. Chapter 2

"Carey!" Irene shrieked as she saw her son on the floor attempting to sit up using his good arm. His fingers had cracked against the wall while the rest of his arm was slammed against the wall with the force of his body and the momentum of the bus. His wrist had been bent at a bad angle and his lower arm was bent so that there was no space between his wrist and shoulder. Irene gathered her footing and kneeled by her son to help him get up and sit on the couch.  
  
Ned pulled the bus over and left the driver's seat to see what had upset Irene.  
  
"Is everyone okay?" Molly asked as she came rushing out of Fi's room followed by Fi and Jack. "Oh my god, Carey what happened?" They froze and stood back by the table.  
  
"I was thrown from the couch and rolled into that wall." His voice shook with painful gasps.  
  
"It's okay sweetie, we're going to get you to a hospital." Irene comforted her son. She stood up from the couch and walked over to the cooler of drinks to find ice for his arm. "Just keep it still." She found they had no ice anywhere on the bus.  
  
"Ned you stay with him, I'll drive the bus. We're almost to Boston anyway." Molly said gently to Ned as he tried to keep Carey still.  
  
"Okay Molly." Ned replied. He felt helpless. All they could for Carey while he was in such pain was sit there. The bus started up and they were on their way.  
  
"Is there anything we can do?" Fi asked feebly. She felt so bad for Carey. Even most people tortured by evil spirits never had to have their arms bent into such positions.  
  
"You two go make sure that the lower bunk has lots of pillows and blankets. We'll have to have to keep him there while we try to get to a hospital."  
  
"Okay, come on Fi." Jack tapped his sister and led her back to the bedroom.  
  
"This time no fighting me about the bed thing Carey." Irene spoke in jokes out of fear. Her poor little baby boy was hurt.  
  
"I wont Mom." Carey's voice shook with tears that needed to be shed. He had never hurt this much before in his life.  
  
"Oh sweetie..." Irene walked over and held her son. He began to cry as she let his head fall on her shoulder. She sat on his right side to avoid his injured arm and helped him stand up. Ned took over and guided his son back to the room he and Jack shared.  
  
"It's all set up Ned." Jack said as he and Fi left the room and stood in the doorway of Fi's room.  
  
"Thanks guys." Ned replied as he helped the slumped Carey who tried desperately to clutch at his injured arm over to the bed. Carey's tears were now falling silently as he tenderly lay on the bed. "Do you want anything Carey? Something to drink or beat up?" Ned laughed at his own attempt at a joke.  
  
"I'll be okay Dad, I hope. I just want to get somewhere they can give me some drugs or something." Carey laughed through his teary face.  
  
"Okay son, you want me to keep you company?"  
  
"It's okay Dad. Go help Miss P and Mom find a hospital, remember what happened when you let them navigate the last tour spot?"  
  
"How can I forget? They drove us 50 miles in the wrong direction before I realized that signs for Canada are not a good thing when you want to be in Texas."  
  
"How about we hang with you for a while Carey? Or would you rather be alone?" Fi asked from the doorway where she and Jack had stood for a while.  
  
"As long as you promise to help me forget this pain." Carey joked. The two came into the room. Fi sat on the end of the bed while Jack took the single chair.  
  
"I'll tell you some jokes, okay Carey? These two guys walk into a bar and..." Jack's voice faded as Ned walked out into the main room where Irene was checking the Massachusetts map for Molly.  
  
"How is he Ned?" Irene asked anxiously.  
  
"Well he needs to see a doctor, no question." Ned replied.  
  
"We found our there's a hospital in the next large town about 20 miles from where we are now. Blessed be the wonderful information people."  
  
"That's not so bad but he's in a lot of pain. Jack and Fi are trying to keep him distracted back there."  
  
"With my driving Ned, we'll be there in no time." Molly said from her place at the wheel.  
  
"Be careful, we don't want to have more reasons to be at the hospital." Ned joked at her. 


	3. Chapter 3

The bus rolled along the empty eastern highway. On the lower bunk Carey tried his hardest to ignore the pain radiating from his smashed up arm. He couldn't move it or even gesture with his fingers. Jack and Fi tried their hardest to amuse him while they drove to the hospital.  
  
"Then there was the time Clu walked into the wall because he was watching that girl on the beach in Florida last summer!" Fi's mention of Clu's fumble last year brought about a chorus of laughter and Carey was able to smile despite his pain.  
  
"That's my brother for you, such a ladies man." Carey grimaced as the pain hit him again but he hid it from Jack and Fi's watchful eyes. "How long till we get there?"  
  
"I'll go find out." Fi replied as she got up to go check with the adults.  
  
"How are you doing Carey?" Jack asked hoping that Carey might be more honest with him.  
  
"Well, my arm is in a very unnatural position and I have no pain medication or ice. I'm great." Jack seemed taken aback by Carey's sarcasm and Carey felt horrible right after he said it. "Sorry. I'm just, uncomfortable and in pain."  
  
"It's okay Carey. Hopefully we'll be there soon and someone can do something for your arm before it falls off." Jack joked.  
  
"Thanks Jack. Great mental image there for me." Carey threw one of his spare pillows at Jack with his good arm.  
  
"Just helping the time go bye." Jack replied as he dodged the pillow. "Be glad you're a cripple Bell or else I would have creamed you."  
  
"The minute I'm healed Jack. You're going to get it." Carey threatened. Jack just laughed at him. They both looked at the doorway as Fi returned with Irene.  
  
"Ned says we're only a few miles from the exit to hospital." Fi spoke in an effort to give Carey some hope.  
  
"Excellent." Carey sighed as he dropped his head back against the pillow.  
  
"How are you doing sweetie?" Irene gently prodded as she sat on his bed and stroked his hair.  
  
Carey let his mother coddle him as he replied, " The pain is pretty constant and the idea of a hospital within the next fifteen minutes is beautiful."  
  
"We should be there even sooner than that." Irene reassured him. She stood up and gazed around the room. Suddenly the bus began slowing. "This must mean we're getting off."  
  
"I'll go find out." Jack volunteered. He left the room to seek information.  
  
"Well I should get up and get ready for this." Carey spoke, dreading the impending process. He only had use of his right arm and he wasn't used to not using his left arm. Any time he even tried to do anything with it sharp pains shot up his arm and through his shoulder.  
  
"Be careful Carey, I don't want to hurt yourself more or aggravate the injury." Irene cautioned him. She watched as he sat up using his good arm and stood up off the bed. The bus swayed as it stopped and Carey was barely able catch onto the bed pole with his right arm. "I think you need to sit until we're there."  
  
Carey eased himself down onto the bed. "I think you're right Mom." The bus rocked gently as it started moving again and Jack came back into the room.  
  
"We're only a block from the hospital. Sorry about that last stop but my Mom is driving." Jack smiled as he delivered the news.  
  
"That is the best news I have heard all day." Carey spoke in a lethargic tone associated with the pain he was experiencing. "This is kind of déjà vu with all of us going into a hospital for a while because of me." He remembered when they had forced him to go have his tonsils looked at after his fever and sore throat had become so harsh.  
  
"I don't think we have to force you to see a doctor for this one." Fi joked. They felt the pull of the bus as it came to a complete stop. Fi peered out the window and saw the signs for the hospital entrance. "I think we're here. Emergency Medicine. I think you qualify Carey."  
  
"I sure hope so." Carey grumbled as he once again eased himself off of the bed. He denied help from anyone as his pride was returning to him. Jack and Fi proceeded out ahead of him into the main room while Irene followed behind like a concerned mother hen. Ned was waiting for them in the main room.  
  
"Molly, Irene, you guys go on in with the kids and I'll go park the bus where it's legal." Ned told them. "You can drive the bus fine Molly but parking it around here is work for a true bus master."  
  
"Okay Ned. We'll meet you inside emergency." Irene replied as they began to exit the bus. Molly got up form the driver's seat after she opened the door and followed them out. They all watched as Carey careful descended the bus stairs.  
  
"Stop watching me!" Carey semi-snapped. He wasn't a big fan of lingering attention. He caught the look in his mom's eyes and quickly looked at her apologetically.  
  
"We're sorry Carey, you just look like you're in so much pain." Irene replied to his sorrowful glance.  
  
"Well why don't we go in there and get this taken care of." Carey took the initiative and led them through the doors to the ER. 


	4. Chapter 4

Carey shifted uncomfortably in his hospital bed. With the help of some no-nonsense nurses he had changed into a gown and heaved himself onto a gurney. He had decided to let his family and friends wait outside while he was examined, his beaten up arm was surely not a Kodak moment. Even with the medication they had given him he was still rather coherent.  
  
"All right Mr. Bell, my name is Dr. Nelson." A younger man in his thirties walked into the room bearing a chart, adorned in the ever-present coat and stethoscope. "It says here you slammed into a wall hand first when you rolled off of a couch on a bus?" The man was obviously confused.  
  
"Let me explain a little better for you, and please call me Carey." Carey took a deep breath and began his six degrees of separation from his little accident. "I'm the guitarist for the Molly Phillips tour and I was sleeping on the couch in the tour bus and we hit a deep ditch and I was thrown from the couch and into the wall."  
  
"That's quite a story." Dr. Nelson eyed the extensive damage on the boys hand. "I'm going to have to take numerous x-rays of your shoulder down to your fingers and everything in between."  
  
Carey groaned. "How long will all of this take?"  
  
"It will take almost an hour to take the x-rays and get them developed. It's a slow night so it shouldn't be that bad."  
  
"Will I have to get a cast?"  
  
"I think that's safe to say. You'll have a cast for a long time with special finger projections to hold your fingers in place while they heal." The Doctor could see the young man was becoming a little concerned with his situation.  
  
"How long until I can play my guitar again?" Carey was starting to panic. He was yet to consider this consequence.  
  
"It all depends on how severe the damage to your joints and fingers were." Dr. Nelson tried to reassure the boy of the best, even though both he and the doctor feared the worst. "We'll know a lot more once we take these x-rays."  
  
A nurse entered the room with an x-ray machine followed by another man with heavy gowns for them all to wear. Carey blinked back his tears and sat up at the nurses command to position himself for the x-ray.  
  
"Are we all ready?"  
  
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"I hope Carey isn't hurt too bad. His arm looked so awful." Fi spoke up out of a silence in the calm waiting room where they all sat.  
  
"I suppose the worst is he'll be in a cast for a while." Ned stated.  
  
"I feel so bad about this but I'm going to have to call soon about getting a replacement guitar player. I know I can get Ben Wilkens but I'd have to call him by tomorrow night." Molly was solemn in her order.  
  
"It's okay Molly, Carey will be fine with it, and he's a big boy." Irene replied from where she sat on the soft bench, leaning against Ned's strong frame.  
  
"He wont be able to play for months though probably, right? I mean, all those months of being in a cast and then working up to the level he was at before." Fi shut her mouth quickly as she realized what she had just said.  
  
"Fi..." Jack smacked his sister lightly with the magazine he was reading.  
  
"It's okay Jack, we all know it. It's just going to be hard having to watch him go through that." Irene sounded tired, she wanted so badly to help her boy but she understood that he needed to do this alone.  
  
"Come on guys, we're all jumping to conclusions. I'm sure after a few months he'll be fine and you know Carey will get back to speed quickly. Ben will be purely temporary." Molly tried to liven up the crowd with her optimism. She could see it was failing.  
  
Fi and Jack were sprawled across the chairs section in the middle of the room reading magazines and catching worried glances at each other. Ned and Irene sat together silently on the long bench seat, they were obviously worried about Carey. Molly stood pacing as she debated how long to wait before calling Ben about joining them up. He knew all of her music and he was available. He loved to tour and he had been such a blast back when he toured with her and Rick. Molly had no doubts that he would get along great hanging with the other musicians and roadies.  
  
"Call him Molly, before you wear the rug down." Irene's sudden comment broke Molly's thought process.  
  
"I think I'll wait until we know about Carey for sure. I know he wont be playing in the next show but it seems cruel to replace him before he's even treated."  
  
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"All right Carey. We have your x-rays back." Dr. Nelson broke through Carey's semi drugged haze. "It's not as bad as it could have been luckily. Should I go ahead and call your family in here?"  
  
"Sure. That way you wont have to explain this all twice." Carey was relieved to hear it wasn't so bad. His pain had dulled slightly with whatever they were giving him intravenously. He was able to doze once again, at least until the next disturbance. His dazed dreams were filled with beautiful guitars strumming perfect melodies. 


	5. Chapter 5

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"All right Carey. We have your x-rays back." Dr. Nelson broke through Carey's semi drugged haze. "It's not as bad as it could have been luckily. Should I go ahead and call your family in here?"  
  
"Sure. That way you wont have to explain this all twice." Carey was relieved to hear it wasn't so bad. His pain had dulled slightly with whatever they were giving him intravenously. He was able to doze once again, at least until the next disturbance. His dazed dreams were filled with beautiful guitars strumming perfect melodies.  
  
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Ned and Irene sat tenderly on the chairs besides Carey's hospital bed in the sectioned off corner of exam room. The guitars in his head had struck sudden minor chords as he listened to the doctor's words.  
  
"The joints in your fingers were stretched and torn. You'll need to go through physical therapy to regain full use of your hand once the joints and muscles heal." Doctor Nelson spoke gently knowing that Carey needed a lot of time for this to sink in.  
  
"What about the rest of my arm?" Carey's voice wavered as he asked his question.  
  
"There were some pretty bad breaks but those will heal just fine once we set your arm. You'll have a cast up to your mid upper arm and we'll set your shoulder and give you a positioning device. For a while you'll have to have a sling running to your other shoulder to support your arm."  
  
"But I will regain use of my fingers, right?" Carey felt himself falling apart.  
  
"With time, healing, and the therapy, you will regain full use after 6-8 months." Doctor Nelson was dreading having to tell him the time period.  
  
"But... my guitar....and......the tour......and......" Carey began to freak out slightly and tried to get up but his medicated state made it hard for him to move. As he tottered Ned caught him and helped him back into the bed. Irene helped him lay back and tried to calm him.  
  
"Shhhhh. Sweetie, it will be okay." Irene was heartbroken to see Carey like this. She may not have been too happy when he quit college and joined the tour but she had never seen such passion and life in her son. "He will be able to play again though, right?" Irene was concerned that a deeper truth might be hiding under the Doctor's calm manor.  
  
"He will regain full use but it will take a lot of time. The danger is in a further injury or aggravation which often occurs out of impatience and desire to do things before the fingers have healed." The Doctor was stern in his speech. "Very few ever lose usage of their fingers unless the joints are completely torn apart or bones are crushed."  
  
Ned and Irene sighed as they looked at each other. They were in for a long ride of frustration and pain. They would have to talk about a lot of things with Carey. For now they left him to have his arm set.  
  
"Here are the prescriptions for pain medication. The pharmacist will go over dosage and times of day with you. One is weaker for all day use and the other is stronger for night. He wont need them for long." Doctor Nelson handed them the slips of paper with a weary smile. "We'll bring him out when we're done."  
  
"Thank you Doctor." Irene and Ned chorused as they left to go join the others in the waiting room.  
  
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Jack had long since fallen asleep on the chair in an awkward position while Fi sat next to him in a tired haze. She barely noticed he brother next to her, curled up into the fetal position on the single seat chair. Ned and Irene had come out thirty minutes earlier with the news about Carey and now they just waited for them to bring him out.  
  
Molly and Irene had returned from the pharmacy after only ten minutes since it was already 1am. The ER was still quiet and the waiting room belonged to them. In the corner Molly, Irene, and Ned discussed things in hush tones.  
  
"We don't know what he'll want to do. There are plenty of options." Ned stated for the sake of argument.  
  
"It might too hard for him to do physical therapy on the road. Plus the emotional toll." Irene expressed as she toyed with her hair, a nervous habit.  
  
"I guess it's all up to him. Ben's on his way and I guess I'll have to ask him about staying on for a while. I don't even know if we'll still be on tour by the time Carey's arm heals." Molly felt so horrible to be dealing with totally replacing Carey while he was still in the hospital.  
  
"Plus who knows how he'll be playing when he's able to again. He'll have to relearn practically and get his fingers to make those stretches again." Irene spoke in a frustrated tone.  
  
"I didn't want to have to be the one to mention that." Molly stated as she glanced at the doors momentarily. "We all know Carey though. As soon as he can he'll be back to where he was." Molly tried to stir some hope in the disheveled pair.  
  
They were all ripped from their temporary holds as the doors opened and a nurse wheeled Carey out. He looked very tired and vulnerable in his huge cast and sling. It took over his entire front and it was practically bound to him by the support device. His jacket was slung on his good side and his hair was a mess.  
  
"How are you doing Carey?" Molly asked gently.  
  
"As good as I can Miss P." Carey yawned as the words escaped his mouth.  
  
"They give you some good drugs?" Jack asked.  
  
"Jack!" Molly scolded him.  
  
Carey almost laughed. Jack was always good for amusement. "It's very nice. I'm floating on a cloud."  
  
Fi stood back a ways. "That's quite a cast." Fi remarked.  
  
"It's heavier than anything I have ever dealt with. It's going to suck having this thing attached to me." Carey sulked at the idea of being 'cast boy' for the next few months.  
  
The nurse was very gentle as she handed the chair over to Ned. "The people at the front desk will take the wheelchair when you're done."  
  
"Will anyone mind if we pull our bus up to the side by the entrance?" Ned's request seemed to bewilder the Nurse.  
  
"Ummmm. Sure. It's pretty slow. No one should mind if it's only for a short while."  
  
"Thank you very much."  
  
"You're welcome. Goodbye Carey." Carey acknowledged the Nurse's goodbye with a nod and a mumble. The folder by his side contained numbers for physical therapists near his home and ones he could see on the road. The decision of what to do would be hard for him. For now he just wanted to sleep off the pain. 


	6. Chapter 6

"You fell off the couch and whacked your arm?" Clu giggled into the phone in his dorm.  
  
"Yes, Clu, do you have to keep on repeating it?" Carey was both frustrated and humored by his brother. Their phone conversations were usually spent catching up on things but this week's was all about Carey's little accident.  
  
"Bro, I have done some stupid things in my life but you have so beaten me in the klutz department."  
  
"Thanks for the loving reassuring comments."  
  
Clu silenced himself realizing that he should be more compassionate to his brother. He wouldn't be able to play for months and he sounded like his world was falling apart. "I'm sorry man, I know this sucks for you."  
  
"Seriously. Now I don't even know if I can handle staying on the tour. The whole reason I quit school was to become a musician, now I'm just the head roadies sitting duck son." Carey sighed in exasperation. He was sitting on his bed, leaning against the wall. He held the phone with his good arm  
  
"How long until the cast is off?" Clu inquired.  
  
"At least 2 months. Then I get to physical therapy for a few months." It all sounded so horrible when Carey replayed it in his mind.  
  
"Can you do the therapy on the road?"  
  
"I can but it will be hard. The other option is to head home for a while." Carey shut his eyes, hoping the harder he shut them, the further this would all go away. "I can't even dress myself completely Clu! I had to have Mom help me put my pants on. I feel so useless."  
  
"I'm so sorry Carey. I know it's hard. Remember when I fell off the wagon and broke my leg?"  
  
"Yah." Carey laughed at the memory of his brother's huge leg cast when he was 10.  
  
"Mom had to help me do everything for weeks. I know it's harder since you're like twice as I was then but it's still a step downward in your life."  
  
"Thanks Clu, as crazy as you are, that kind of helped."  
  
"Well, if you ever need to talk or anything bro, I'm always here."  
  
"Thanks Clu, I think we're going to go get some dinner and check out the venue so should get going."  
  
"Are you going to go to be okay doing all this?" Clu was honestly concerned with his brother.  
  
"I think so. I can't hide on the bus forever."  
  
"Okay bro, good luck. Later. Tell Mom and Dad I said Goodnight."  
  
"Okay. Bye Clu."  
  
Carey clicked the button on his mom's cell phone and stood up. In the two days since his injury he had managed to teach himself how to balance the extreme weight enough to be able to sit up and down like he used to. He opened the door he had shut for privacy and walked down the hall. Everyone was waiting for him.  
  
"Hey Carey, Jack and I found a pizza place down the street." Fi exclaimed at him from the couch where she and Jack were playing cards.  
  
"Yah and it's either pizza with us or the Russian-Indian place with those freaks over there." Jack said as gestured towards the adults at the table.  
  
"Russian-Indian?" Carey was very confused.  
  
"It's a very interesting combination." Molly chimed in as she handed the pamphlet to Carey.  
  
Carey took the pamphlet and handed the cell phone to his Mom. He sat on the couch next to Jack and skimmed the menu. "I think I'm going to stick with pizza, this is just a little too weird for me."  
  
"You're loss Carey, I know I can't wait to try this splendid cuisine." Ned joked.  
  
"You know you're excited about this place Dear." Irene told him as she smacked him playfully.  
  
"Bring it on Sweetie." Ned laughed.  
  
"Well I think that's our cue to go get some pepperoni and sausage pizza." Jack stood up and walked towards the door.  
  
"You mean some double cheese with sausage pizza, right Jack?" Fi joked as she followed him.  
  
"No, actually he means plain old classic pepperoni pizza." Carey joked as he followed them.  
  
The adults smiled as they watched the kids leave the bus. "Nice to see him happy for once." Irene commented.  
  
"He's been so down the past few days." Molly commented.  
  
"Well the kid broke his arm, can't play his guitar for at least 4 or 5 months, and he can't even shower without having someone help him tie a bag to his cast. How would you feel?" Ned added into their discussion.  
  
"I just wish we could help him out someway. I know he feels so degraded and low." Irene sighed.  
  
"We'll find a way." Ned said as he reached out to hold Irene's hand. 


End file.
